Can I run BF2 on my parents computer which is a dell dimesdions 8400 intel pentium 4 cpu 3.20GHZ 3.19 GHZ, 512 of ram? Will the PCI express x 16 run BF2? I think it is called ATI Radeon X300 SE but I am not sure? Any advice? Can I do it on this system. The reqs page on EA says "Video card must have 128 MB or more memory and one of the following chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 or greater / ATI Radeon 8500 or greater".

That pc has inegrated graphics, no better than your current one. If you know how to upgrade to a better graphics card then I would advise getting a cheap second hand nvidia 8600gt or something, maybe a 4670 but it will probably be bottlenecked by the p4. I wouldn't be so drasic to buy a whole new pc just to play bf2.

Would this card be compatible with my current setup at my parents house? If I could Find a cheap GPU that was compatible with my dell dimesdions 8400 intel pentium 4 cpu 3.20GHZ 3.19 GHZ, 512 of ram I would definately buy it to improve the system I have now. Is the one I picked ok or is there somthing better in the $30 price range? Do I need to get something better?

If I am going to buy something, I want my game to run medium to well as far as game speed and res. I am open to any suggestions and advice on how to match up my new GPU with my old dell dimesions 8400 setup previously listed as the setup at my rents house. I want enough power to run BF2 online well to avoid lag problems. Also does anyone suggest new memory for my BF2 applications?

i would suggest trying it out first before you buy anything. i know BF2 will run, i'm not sure if it will run with as much eye candy as you want. for ram you need 1.5 gigs atleast, bf2 will use almost a gig by itself.

If you buy a computer, forget about the extended service plans and warranties, they are a waste of money. use the money you save by not getting a service plan to get a better pc, or a gfx card. try and stear clear of hp's.. :\

If I am going to buy something, I want my game to run medium to well as far as game speed and res. I am open to any suggestions and advice on how to match up my new GPU with my old dell dimesions 8400 setup previously listed as the setup at my rents house. I want enough power to run BF2 online well to avoid lag problems. Also does anyone suggest new memory for my BF2 applications?

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that 8400gs is equally crappy like your 300se. Get atleast 8600gt or get this one

OK I c. Some say get a better card (e.g. Radeon HD 2600XT or better). Other say run it and see how it runs. I honestly think that this dell I am using now is too weak to support this game due to past virus damage. The computer is just a shadow of what it was when we bought it due to all the virus and spyware programs that were there. Then my mom lost her mind and paid $150 to get the thing "fixed". The guy ran registry cleaning programs through his PC into my hard drive to clean it up but for 150-250 the computer could have been upgraded to run like a new one.

So I wanna spend maybe $50-$80 on a GPU or mem to get most bang for buck on the dell. I am also trying to build my own PC sometime in the next year or so. ATM I have too many other more things that need money (a.k.a. bills & bitches).

Thanks for that input bluefox. I will think about that, but keep in mind that I want my FTB to have O/C capability. I am trying to learn how to build, mod, and O/C. I have been focusing on the basics for system builds and am going to try to start learning the basics of O/C. The stickies are great so far.

Swami TY for that link. I appreciate the extra effort of putting all that together for me. I will consider that as an option to improve my parents' dell. Do you have any suggestions as far as mem sticks go? Also how do you know that the card is compatible with my current mobo? I am not suggesting that it isn't compatible. I am asking because I want to learn how to select my own GPU based on compatablity and performace, not just one or the other. For that matter, how do I know what to look for in mem compatabilty either?

Last but not least ty to 3870, fafa, and ranger. You guys all gave me something to think about and I am happy to get all the advice from everyone.

Now I think I will run BF2 with the current setup and see. Then if upgrades are needed I will need to know what mem and/or GPU to use to upgrade the rents PC. Thanks again to everyone that took the time to add.